Batman: Beyond Avenging
by The Phantom Penance
Summary: The symbol of Batman was fear, to take the fear that criminals instill into the weak and turn against themselves. To become Batman is to take a solid oath that no matter what happens, no matter what dimension you land in, your duty as Batman is become fear itself to scum.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello dedicated fans and newcomers alike, this is the Phantom Penance!**

 **If you see this, then you must realize that I have made a new fanfic, true to my word! If you're waiting for the other one I plan to make, realize that that'll come later since I'm usually burnt out from writing a chapter.**

 **Anyway, new crossover story with Marvel's Universe and Batman Beyond, welcome to Batman: Beyond Avenging.**

 **Without further ado: I DO NOT OWN BATMAN OR MARVEL, THEY BELONG TO MARVEL AND DC.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Not where, when?**

It had been a wild night for Terry. He broke into what was easily the most difficult security home he had ever seen to talk to an old lady, but not just any old lady, the sole person responsible for his genetic creation.

Waller knew what Terry wanted, so she didn't hold back on telling him everything he wanted to know, and needed to know. The answers he sought was that he wasn't a clone of old man Bruce Wayne, but his only heir to the mantle as Gotham's defender. Terry had no obligations to follow the path Bruce led down to the letter, but defending Gotham –and the world-as the Dark Knight was his destiny.

So he did.

And just like that, Gotham had a vigilante again…..

* * *

Gotham's night was cold, mainly due to the intense pollution the city had back in the days, but Kal-El didn't seem to mind it. After all, temperature was something that didn't have any effect on the Man of Steel. Superman looked young for an 80 year old, thanks to his Kryptonian heritage and a healthy diet, the sides of his hair was white but the rest was still jet black.

His red and blue suit was traded for black and white, it made it easier for him to absorb sunlight and maintain the power he had during his prime, and it lacked a cape. Kal-El had gone through many changes during the years, but only out of necessity, his morals to truth and justice still remained as strong as his unbreakable skin.

"You called?"

Superman quickly spun around, then smiled at the person that greeted him.

"Either I'm going deaf, or you're just as good as Bruce was back in the days." He complimented.

The sight that greeted him was a man well in his prime. His suit was as black as night and skin tight, it showed of his muscles and the power they held. On his waist was a utility belt and just above that, a blood red symbol of fear for criminals. The face of the man wore a black mask that had two pointy horns on the sides of a chiseled face and eyes that were white.

A menacing figure for the scum of Gotham, but that was the point after all.

"I heard you were retired Terry. You didn't have to come out of retirement just for me." Superman spoke as he got closer to the vigilante.

Terry shook his head, confusing the Man of Steel. "Call me Batman, and no offense, but I didn't put on the mask for you. I…had a change of heart recently."

Superman stared at the man, then he smiled. "Well I'm glad, the world could use Batman."

He outstretched his hand to which Batman stared briefly at it before he stretched out his own and grasped it. The greatest superheroes on Earth shook at mutual respect.

"You plan on rejoining the Justice League? The youngsters need all the hands they could get." Superman asked, trying his luck.

Batman smirked, "Let's not get crazy yet. You needed help on a case, right?"

The Man of…..Today? nodded his head. "There was unusual energy spikes in Metropolis, something I haven't seen in a long time, so long, I don't even remember what it was. Followed the spikes down here and well, I needed somebody who knows these streets better than anyone."

He pulled out a hand-held device where the language of Krypton sped across the screen.

"This is a device I got from my Fortress, it'll help you and I track down the energy trail," Superman explained, "It's a little tricky to work out, even for me, I'll show you-"

"I already got it down," Batman interrupted while the supercomputer back in the Batcave fed the Batsuit all the information.

"H-How?" Superman asked, astounded.

"You've been out of contact with current events for a while," Batman replied, "We've taken large strides in technology, and naturally, the Batcave gets all the fancy toys. Like a multi-language instant translator, equipped with extraterrestrial language."

"Remind me to keep Bruce's toys out of my Fortress." Superman replied.

"I've isolated the signature specifically down to Gotham docks," the younger man declared. "It's a nice place to hide since it's all but abandoned."

"Thought that imports and exports was the life of Gotham," Superman assumed.

"Not anymore. Better ways to transports goods now." The Dark Knight answered as he walked to the edge of the Metro Tower.

"I suppose this is the part where you say that you'll handle it and I should leave Gotham?" Superman smirked while he folded his arms.

"No," Batman simply said. "I don't know what I'm dealing with and I'm a little out of practice. You can tag along."

With that, he doved off the building and allowed the built-in wings of the Batsuit to carry him off into the night.

"Tag along huh?" Superman chuckled, "Well, he's more humble than you Bruce."

* * *

The Gotham docks was a mess. Since its abandonment, it became one of the many sleeping grounds for the homeless and even some gangs, though they were small fry, nowhere near as threating as the Jokerz.

When Wayne-Powers Industries took it over, the docks briefly returned to their roots as a place where the criminals of Gotham did their dirty dealings, but now it was vacant completely by the GCPD, to be rebuilt as a "memorial."

At any case, when Batman and Superman showed up, the place was dead quiet, making it very tense for the one superhero who wasn't nearly as powerful as a locomotive, whatever that was.

"It's quiet, too quiet," Batman stated the ever obvious.

"I can't hear anything, even with my super-hearing," Superman said aloud.

" _You're getting closer Terry. Be on the lookout."_ Came the voice of very old Bruce Wayne.

"What are you doing up? You're not as young as you used to be, get some rest, I can handle it." Batman replied to his mentor.

" _I'll rest when I'm dead, and not before."_ Bruce reproached.

"That might happen sooner than you think."

" _Focus on the field, I'll call back when something happens."_ With that, the very first Batman hung up.

"Was that Bruce?" Superman asked,

Batman nodded, "Let's go. Sooner we do this, sooner I can make sure a certain grandpa can go to sleep."

Wordlessly, they split up to cover more ground. It turned out that the energy had a widespread effect, scattering the signature all around the docks. Superman took to the skies and used his super-vision, at least, on the massive shipping containers that weren't lined with lead. Turns out that Lex Luthor did a lot of business in Gotham back in the day.

That left Batman to walk on foot around the metal maze, his left hand was carefully at his utility belt where all his batarangs were holstered as he walked silently into the unknown.

" _Careful Terry, whatever you're looking for, you're…ugh….you're getting close."_

"You okay Bruce?" Batman asked with concern.

" _I'm fine."_ Bruce responded gruffly, " _just a little chest pain. Nothing I can't handle."_

"Just a little chest pain doesn't cut it anymore!" Batman exclaimed. "Just take your medicine and go to bed. I can take care of this."

He didn't get a reply, meaning that Bruce had returned to radio silence, as well as effectively ending the conversation.

Batman sighed, "Stubborn old man. Better get this done now."

He looked on ahead and spotted Superman again. He was staring at something beyond the two superheroes.

"I haven't found anything yet, how about you?" Batman asked as he walked up to the Man of Steel.

He didn't answer back, much less move.

"Clark?" Batman grabbed the Kryptonian's shoulder, but he didn't budge at all. The Dark Knight walked cautiously in front of Superman.

The Man of Steel didn't move. He looked straight on ahead, as if he didn't notice his partner standing right in front of him. Batman checked and did not see Superman's chest rise or fall, it stayed the same.

"Strange," he muttered while waving his hand in front of the alien. "It's as if he's-"

"Frozen in time?"

Batman jumped back and pulled out a batarang at the sound of a newcomer's voice. It was a man wearing a suit that had an hourglass in the middle of it. The top half of the suit was blue and the bottom half was white. However, on the man's arms and belt was a strange device, one that the Batcomputer wasn't registering.

"Yes, it would appear that was the case for the Man of Steel. Don't be sad, a far worse fate awaits you." The man sinisterly revealed.

"Yeah, and who are you supposed to be?" Batman questioned,

The man smirked. "Of course, we've never met, but I'm sure you've gotten acquainted with my father. He was the first Chronos before me!"

"Chronos…..sorry pal, name isn't ringing any bells." The Dark Knight replied.

"Enough!" Chronos snapped. "You're mentor trapped my father in a never-ending loop of time for years, it was a miracle he ever got out! It's only fitting that his son should enact his vengeance on the Batman's successor!"

Batman pressed on the batarang, releasing a violent flash. Chronos reacted quickly by firing a yellow beam of energy straight at Batman, only to find that he had vanished. The man glanced around for a blur, anything to give him a clue of Batman's general direction, but he found nothing.

"You don't scare me Batman!" He yelled out, "I'll find you, and erase your petty life from existence!"

* * *

"I've found the origin of the energy spikes, it's some guy going by the name of Chronos. He said you dealt with his father before." Bataman spoke quickly and quietly. He hid behind some cover deep in the shadows while Chronos ran off on his search.

" _Chronos… the Justice League has dealt with Chronos before. He was capable of jumping throughout time using relics as time coordinates. I trapped him in a never-ending loop with me and Green Lantern the only ones to remember the whole ordeal."_

"Apparently the loop wasn't as infinite as you thought because he got out and taught his son how to use his technology." Batman replied.

" _Should I apologize? If the worst comes to it, he'll most likely jump through time as an escape. Stop him before then."_ Bruce advised.

Batman pulled out a batarang and threw it straight at Chronos. The Time villain heard the whirring noise the projectile made and fired his gauntlets. Yellow light struck the batarang, slowing it down until the batarang vanished completely!

' _That's strange.'_ Batman thought as he narrowed his eyes.

"Bet you didn't expect that, did you!?" Chronos taunted to the darkness. "I've modeled my father's technology to reverse age anything my time beam particle touches. It's what'll happen to you at the end of tonight! Aging backwards to your own pre-existence!"

"You catch all that?" Batman asked over his comm.

" _Yes. Disable those gauntlets as quickly as possible."_ Bruce ordered.

Batman threw two more batarangs at Chronos, but they met the same fate as the first. Batman backed away from the two beam blasts aimed for him and jumped to a container stacked upon one another then ducked another beam.

He looked up to see a crane looming above the villain and threw another batarang. With its cutting edge, the batarang slice throught the crane's thick chain and caused it to fall downward. Chronos gasped and rolled to the side to dodge the falling crane.

"Are you crazy!? That could have killed me! Some hero-"

When Chronos looked back at Batman, he was not far off on shipping containers, he was right in front of him! The villain grunted in pain when the Dark Knight punched him straight in the face, Batman continued to punch him in the gut and then the chin, launching Chronos in the air.

' _Can't let him get distance.'_ Batman thought. He threw another batarang to keep the man off balance.

By the time Chronos knocked the batarang away, Batman was already closing the distance with another blow but this time, Chronos was prepared. He dodged Batman's left punch as well as the right one that followed, but he was prepared for when the Dark Knight turned around and kick him to a wall.

Chronos grunted then gasped, he moved his head just in time to see Batman burrow his hand through metal. Seeing him run away propelled Batman to reach out into his belt and throw another batarang, but the villain dodged. Batman launched himself at Chronos, but he reacted quickly and fired his time beam straight into Batman's heart.

Batman yelled out in pain and surprise before falling down to the ground. Chronos stood victoriously above the near unconscious hero.

"This was going to end no other way Batman. Maybe I'll turn you back to a kid and listen to your whines and screams for mommy before I delete your sorry existence forever!"

He laughed maniacally, unaware that the batarang he dodged was circling back around until it buried deep inside his glove.

"No! My gauntlet!" He yelled as sparks flew out of his hand. Batman suddenly got up in blinding speed and buried his fist deep into Chronos' face, the man backed away until he collapsed to the ground, out cold.

Batman groaned as he stiffly got back on his feet.

" _Terry, Terry! Respond!"_ Naturally, Bruce was practically yelling in his ear when trouble arose.

"I'm okay…..I got hit by his ray, but I think the suit protected me." Batman replied.

" _It didn't protect you, it took the bulk of the blast."_ Wayne explained.

Batman widened his eyes and practically ran to the nearest reflection he could find and pulled off his mask. In truth, he looked years younger, almost to the time he became Batman. His hair wasn't as long as before and his face was less defined. His large chest had returned to the lean look it possessed, in all, a short blast had aged him back a few years.

' _Oh no…..how am I going to explain this to Dana?'_

"You can reverse the affects, right?" Terry asked with unease.

" _I think so,"_ Bruce assured, _"I'd need his technology, then I can-GUH!"_

"Bruce!" Terry yelled out in shock. He heard nothing, only something slumping on a surface then falling to the ground.

"I've gotta get back, right now!" Batman said to himself, but as he placed his mask back on, someone grabbed him by his neck from behind.

"IF I'M GONNA DIE, THEN I'M TAKING YOU WITH ME!" Chronos yelled madly. His damaged time gauntlet glowed brighter and brighter until the light was all Terry could see.

"No-!" Was all Batman could say. He elbowed Chronos in the gut repeatedly in desperation to break free, but that made the mad villain cling all tighter.

The two were enveloped in a large bright dome of uncontained energy, it sparked and electrified until it disappeared.

Chronos and Batman had both vanished off the face of the earth.

* * *

 **Chapter 1 completed!**

 **Sorry that this Fanfic didn't come out sooner. There was a major storms in my area and we had a pretty long blackout but I finished it!**

 **Onto more important things, what's happened to Batman? What's happened to Bruce? Has he finally succumbed to his old age and passed on? What will become of Chronos?**

 **Find out later in the next Batman: Beyond Avenging!**

 **Also!**

 **MAY THE FLAMES OF YOUTH BE WITH YOU, ALWAYS**

 **-Jedi Master Maito "Might" Gai**


	2. Chapter 2: Life Beyond

**Hey-o fans! The Phantom Penance has made a return!**

 **I wanted to actually start updating my current stories before I did something really crazy and started creating new ones. Like I need more time for that crazy stuff.**

 **Anyway, the reason I haven't been working for so long is because I have my mind on other things, like finding a college, schoolwork, AND SUCCESSFULLY MAKING MY OWN BOOK!**

… **.I'm still writing out the details, but it'll (hopefully) be done by the end of the school year. Then all I have to worry about is marketing the thing.**

 **Give me plenty of support, alright?**

 **But enough about me, let's continue with Beyond Avenging!**

* * *

 **Chapter Two: Life Beyond**

It's a rumor. More a legend than anything else.

The talk between the paranoid, a giant, black creature is sweeping the streets of New York clean of all the guilty, the corrupted, and the unjust. Some people believe it, others think it's a stupid tabloid, and some are smart enough to give it the benefit of doubt and keep their heads low.

Terry liked the mystery. It suited him quite nicely in this strange, but similar world he's made his new home. Revered mystery is sometimes a lot more helpful than a giant publicity thing that everybody knows about, not that publicity didn't have its benefits. He could see in the near future that the police won't take kindly to his vigilantism.

Bet this was how the old man thought when he first… he should not have done that.

Terry visibly winced at the memories that flooded his mind, escaping its mental pen he made, reminding him of his true home. A home filled with friends…..and loved ones.

The home he might not get back.

' _Pointless to think about it,'_ he reminded himself. As advanced as the era he grew up in, the tech here was (mostly to him) very old and nigh impossible to make a hovercar, let alone an actual time machine. That's also standing on the big _if_ Terry was near the proper past he should be in (one with a Gotham and Metropolis), _if_ Terry could guess how to make a time machine, and _if_ time was even needed at all.

With insurmountable odds stacked against him, the best bet for the Bat progeny was to hunker down, make a life of his own, and hope somebody could find him.

Somebody who doesn't want him dead. _That_ would also be a big plus.

His phone buzzed right next to him. Couldn't be good.

"Hello?"

" _Please tell me you can get here fast."_

Instantly recognizing the female voice, Terry sat up in his bed. "Sarah, that you? How did you get this number? Is something wrong at the office?"

" _No-yes-it's difficult- have you seen the TV at all today?"_

"Um…I usually sleep." Terry replied lamely, barely stealing a glance at a particular black suit hanging in his closet.

" _Doesn't matter. Get here right now before he does something stupid."_

"Who? What's happened?" Terry demanded.

" _It's Horgan. He's having one of his fits, and judging by the news, nobody blames him."_

That was all that was needed. Terry got on some presentable clothes and headed straight out the door for his bike. Horgan-being a coworker of his- was known for two things: 1) Having big ideas, 2) Having the worst moments of rage.

Once he starts, there's very few things that'll stop him. Says he gets it from his mother. Doesn't matter, what matters is that he gets stopped before he wrecks some expensive piece of work and noting the place of work he's in, he's got a lot of opportunities to get creative.

"Where is he?" Terry demanded at the brunette who called his cell. She only had to point at the small office where the window was cracked with what appears to be coffee sliding down it.

"You gotta stop him before he goes down to the labs," Sarah insisted.

"Don't worry, I will." Terry assured before putting on a brave face and opening the door to the apparent danger zone.

The danger zone was complete with swearing, yelling, and flying objects. One of which was clumsily thrown at Terry's head, but he _luckily_ dodged it in the nick of time.

"Mind telling me why you're going all World War III on your office? Do you want to be fired, is that it?" Terry demanded.

"Job's the least of my problems!" Horgan angrily threw a keyboard over the wall, smashing a picture. "Take a look!"

Horgan wildly pointed at a piece of paper crumpled on the ground, Terry had no doubts that the paper was the first of his friend's rampage since it had the company seal on it.

"' _All projects that are labelled as lethal are hereby ordered to be shut down indefinitely.'_ By CEO of Stark Enterprises, Tony Stark." Terry surmised, albeit surprisingly.

"HE SHUT ME DOWN! That arrogant son of a &%*$# shut _my life's work down!"_ Horgan raved madly, quickly reminding Terry of more important priorities.

"Bruno, I know you're mad, but I doubt Stark cares if you make a mess in your own office."

Horgan wiped his mouth of the saliva stuck upon it. "Oh sure, there's no reason for you to be so scared. Your crap is 'nonlethal' and not 'a danger to humans, foreign and domestic.'"

"Don't pin me as the bad guy all the sudden," Terry replied, "and don't look the gift horse in the mouth. You're lucky you aren't fired for what you did."

Terry always knew Horgan had a grudge against Tony Stark, the billionaire who has all ups in life because he was born with it, a major contrast between Horgan's dilemma. Horgan truly believed his projects out-trumped anything Stark had, but the projects required expensive technology. Money was something that had always eluded Horgan, so he was forced to work for the one person who has what he needs.

Tony Stark.

It was a tough pill for Horgan to swallow, working for the man he holds great contempt for, but he did it, holding out on the hope that his work would be recognized and rewarded. However, halfway through the second year, an inspection of all projects was made, resulting with Horgan's project funding being cut down in favor of "better projects."

A courtesy hand selected by Tony Stark.

Forced to a tighter budget, Horgan began doing something that is considered completely unethical: he began using cheap and grossly inferior materials to finish his work. Horgan was luck Terry caught wind and forced him to get his work done right, but Terry always had his suspicions Horgan was still buying cheap materials to get his project finished on time.

Now his work will never be done. All thanks to Tony Stark, the "Merchant of Death."

"Is he gonna be alright?" Sarah asked with concern as Terry helped Horgan, whose stamina and wrath fled him, out of the office.

"Yeah, I'm gonna take him away from here. Maybe someplace that has a bar."

"No drinks. His mom will get onto him." Sarah quickly replied.

"I'm right here," Horgan moaned.

"Take his car. I'll stay here, make sure nobody else follows Bruno's example." She said before going back to her desk, no doubt preparing mentally for the worst.

In truth, Terry is a bit surprised Stark did what he did. He knew Stark had been missing in the Middle East for a couple of months, so he just comes back a changed man? What did he see that compelled him to get rid of 85% of his company's profit in one day?

* * *

 **(Xx Line Break Xx)**

"Maybe I should work for HAMMER."

"You know what they say about HAMMER, Bruno. No one will ever take you and your work seriously."

Well off his rage, Bruno Horgan was reduced to a somber, depressed man on the beachside. Yes, the beach. Personally, Terry hasn't seen many of those in his old home and the constant, cool wind blowing against them should give Bruno a sense of calm.

Hopefully.

The bald man sighed, "Think I can start my own company?"

"Not likely." Terry truthfully answered. His mother (and through trial and error, Bruce as well) had taught him to be truthful when necessary and Horgan is known for making stupid decisions. The less dumb options he has, the better.

"I don't know what I'm gonna do man." Bruno confessed. "I hate Stark –now more than ever- but his company had everything I need. I've got nothing without his equipment."

"You're not fired, I think," Terry reminded. "You can always stop your melter project and work on something else. Maybe it'll be your big thing."

Bruno shook his head. "I feel like this is my center. You can't break DaVinci's hands and convince him to make a living off of dancing."

Terry shrugged. "I don't know what you can do then. You wanna get something to eat?"

Bruno shook his head again. "Rest. There's a hotel nearby. I can get some rest, figure my life out from there. You can take my car if you want, just remember to fill up and tell me where you left it when you get your bike back."

"If that's the case, it'll probably be back at work." Terry replied.

"Not there," Horgan growled, showing his anger had not dissipate as Terry thought. "I don't want to even hear about _Stark,_ much less see his pompous name."

Nothing left to it, Terry shrugged once more, and left his friend on the beginning of a dark path.

* * *

 **(Xx Line Break Xx)**

Thoughts of Stark's bold move resurfaced Terry's mind as he drove back to his work, the weapons manufacturing that officially doesn't make weapons anymore

' _Stark really doesn't know what he got himself into. No one's gonna be happy with this, and not just people like Horgan, but also the Board and especially the military.'_

There's also about a dozen other people or companies that use Stark weaponry who are about to get very mad at the new development. Who knows, maybe they'll be more than-

" _What the-"_ Terry snapped out of his thoughts as the car ahead of him all the suddenly burst in a black smoke and was quickly, but safely, pulled to the side of the road.

Figuring he'd be the nice guy, Terry quickly followed and pulled out of his car just as the figure did the same.

"I was right behind you when…..whatever happened, happened. You okay?" He asked.

"Yes. No harm, no foul, though I can't say the same for my car."

At that statement, Terry quickly learned two things: the person was a woman, and the woman was a _goddess._

Tan skinned, jet black hair that flowed down, and carefully crafted, flawless face that forced one to focus on her piercing blue eyes. A proper, authentic, feminine figure behind clothes of all white, it had indeed looked like Terry found an angel in dis-

Crap, he was staring. "You-uh- you got any clue what happened?" He dumbly asked.

She flashed a typical, nevertheless beautiful, flawless smile. "Yes, in my time of paying attention to the road, I just so happen to know how my car broke down. Could you take a look?"

To be honest, Terry barely knows how to care for his bike. Bikes were apparently built in a very different fashion in his home than in this new world that he's in, either that, or the bikes in this world is different from the one he came from.

Either way, he couldn't call himself a man if he didn't take a look at it.

Wisely backing away from the hood, Terry let the black smoke the engine wafe up to the sky before daring to take a look at what went wrong. It was as he expected: he had no clue what to do.

"I'm afraid you're gonna have to leave it up to a professional." He gravely confirmed.

The lady stared at him. "You wouldn't happen to know one, would you?"

"No, do you?"

Terry sighed. "Listen, I can give you a ride if you want one."

"I wouldn't want to impose, I'm sure you have something to do," she insisted.

"Yeah….I actually was planning to just sleep the day away, but I get the feeling this would be much more helpful." Terry reassured.

"If that's what you want, then who am I to say no to helpful people?" She replied, still in an uplifting mood. Seems that nothing can put her down.

But looks can be deceiving, Terry knows this better than most, and this lady is definitely something else. Gorgeous girl like her just jumps into a stranger's car? She surely knows how to defend herself in some way, not that it would help against him. Not that he's planning anything! He's Batman, never harm the innocent.

Unless they're not innocent, unless _she's_ not-

' _You know what. Shut up. Get in the car. Drive.'_

"There is one exception," he added as he started the car. The woman looked back at him with mild interest.

"I gotta have the name of the lady I'm escorting."

"Oh sorry! I knew I had forgotten something." She quickly apologized. "It's Whitney. Whitney Frost."

* * *

 **DUM DUM DUMMMMM!**

… **Or not. This is clearly before the Avengers, the X-Men, the Defenders, the Masters of Evil, all of that!**

 **Batman arrives at the most pivotal moment: when the world wasn't crazy!**

 **Sorry for the long update, but I'm going through a….trying time right now. Nothing negative, just got a lot of people throwing a lot of things in my face all at once and they all want it done sometime in the next millisecond.**

 **Nothing too hard.**

 **Well, here's to the next chapter where Tony Stark's glorious screw-up…screws up.**

 **MAY THE FLAMES OF YOUTH BE WITH YOU, ALWAYS.**


End file.
